And to make Sunday evenings especially tantalizing, Sherlock will be airing back-to-back with Downton Abbey (premiering in the states on Jan. 5). It has not yet been announced when Sherlock will return in the U.K., but it's safe to say it will probably be before we get it on Jan. 19.

The premiere date announcement is just another piece of a good news in a long line of trickling info that Sherlock has released. Season three was delayed due largely in part to Cumberbatch and Freeman's commitments to their skyrocketing film careers (The Hobbit, Star Trek, etc.). But Sherlock and his Watson are back on the case and we couldn't be more excited.

"They're fantastic," Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton tells EW.com about the new episodes. "They are jaw-dropping. They are like small movies. Benedict and Martin are so in their Sherlock-Watson groove. They are so comfortable with that relationship it's like being in the room with them."

The first episode of season three, titled "The Empty Hearse," will answer the question of how Sherlock survived his Reichenbach fall in the season two finale. The second episode will be called "The Sign of Three" and the finale bears the title "The Last Vow," which we can only assume is Sherlock and Watson taking a vow to love each other forever. Sorry, we're just so excited!

Season four of Sherlock is all but a lock, but nothing has been confirmed by BBC. Cumberbatch said in an interview with Radio Times back in March that he and Freeman were ready for more after season three.

"We've agreed to two more series but I could get into trouble for saying that," Cumberbatch revealed. "All I know at the moment is I'm doing [season three] and another three."